<p>Hello,</p>
<p>Browsing the University of Chicago website, I was suprised to learn that there are 4,400 undergrads and 9,000 graduate and professional students. My question: How does this disproportionate statistic affect University of Chicago's focus on its undergraduate students? Is this more of a graduate university, or do undergrads have access to the same resources and opportunities? Specifically, I'm interested in the Economics department.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Yes, Chicago is one of the few colleges balanced oddly that way (Columbia is too). I don't think it detracts from the undergrad education, though. 90% of professors teach undergrads, and 83% of classes have 25 students or less. Many classes are open to both undergrads and grad students, though, so one can expect tough (and excellent) classes. It's unlikely you'll be directly competing with grad students for the same resources.</p>
<p>Chicago was my #1 choice for undergrad, and it's beginning to look like one of my top choices for grad school. It's the sort of school that excels in most areas, undergrad and grad.</p>
<p>I love that fact that there are more grad students at UChicago than undergrads. Because of this, some classes are open to both grad and undergrad students, making things much more heated and intense. I audited two years of Greek through the College in high school, and I had many grad students in my courses, upping the quality and difficulty that I would not have seen if the students were all under 22. </p>
<p>Grad students are a good thing and by no means detract from the quality of undergrad education; they only add in a beautiful way.</p>
<p>As a former grad student I can say that the presence of undergrad in the course always meant the course was going to be more difficult, they continually out worked and out performed the grad students.</p>
<p>threnody, thank you for asking that question, and thanks to the respondents for answering positively. My son wondered the same thing.</p>
<p>If I am not mistaken, part of the "imbalance" is due to the fact that there is no undergraduate business major. It is my understanding that U Chicago believes that it is best to have a good grounding in an academic field prior to studying the specifics of business.</p>
<p>At the undergrad level they are not much into practical approaches to much of anything. As my now favorite U of C t-shirt says, "That's fine in practice, but how does it work in theory?" </p>
<p>The college is a self-contained unit that has an identity all its own. The grad students have a great deal of respect for students in The College.</p>
<p>It's odd; many of my friends are grad students from the courses I have audited at the U. of C., and they have every respect for me and treat me as an equal. (This was before I was a student, even.) It's nice to be able to hold your own amidst those older and wiser than yourself, and competing with them is something that those who attend colleges instead of universities never get to experience.</p>